R-12 Dvina

R-12 " Dvina "

The R- 12 ( NATO reporting name SS-4 Sandal, GREY index 8K63 ) was a Soviet medium-range missile from the Cold War. The single-stage ballistic missile with liquid engine carried a single nuclear warhead with an explosive force of 1.3 or 2.3 Mt and had a range of 2000 km. The missile was stationed at the end of the 1950s to the late 1980s.

Development

R -12 was constructed by OKB -586 on the basis of the R 5 and combined with the drive of the R-11. She was first ground controlled, received after a revision in 1962 but an autonomous flight control system. A connection to the control station was only for any trajectory corrections. Moreover, stood for their use for the first time storable fuel available, so that a start could vonstattengehen relatively quickly. Nevertheless, you still need 20 soldiers and 12 vehicles for the launch preparations.

Due to their large explosive force and relative inaccuracy target the missile was especially suitable for surface targets such as cities, so -called "soft " or US- style " counter-value " targets. One approach to bunkered targets was also impractical because of the relatively large scattering radius of 2.400 m.

The R-12 was developed for conventional launch sites. The test phase began in 1955, flight tests were from 22 June 1957 to December 1958 in Kapustin Yar instead. From 1960, a Siloversion R- 12U was developed which was tested from December 1961 to December 1963. The R- 12U could both be launched from silos as a conventional launch sites and the R -12 replaced on the latter.

Stationing locations

Soviet Union

Both versions of the R- 12 were in the western Soviet Union ( against NATO in Western Europe) and Siberia dislocated ( against China).

Cuba

During the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the Soviet Union R-12 stationed ( and R -14 ( SS -5) ) in Cuba. Thus, a direct threat to the eastern and southern states of the USA was given, including Washington, DC.

Of the completed and under construction, launch sites near Santa Cruz de los Pinos, Candelaria, Cifuentes and Encrucujada partly the storage bunkers for nuclear warheads of the R- 12 and other infrastructure remain.

DDR (planned)

In the vicinity of Vogelsang and Lychen four launch sites were prepared for R-12. The corresponding concrete foundations with the circular anchors for the starting stages of the rocket remained majority today. There was also a storage bunkers for nuclear warheads of the R- 12 on the edge of the barracks Vogelsang.

Due to the availability of R-14 and their target coverage in Western Europe, planned and prepared deployment of R-12 in the GDR was canceled. The range of R-14 in the Soviet Union superimposed on the planned R-12 in the GDR.

Decommissioning

In the last ten years, the use of R-12, piece by piece by the RT -21M were replaced. Under the INF Treaty to May 1990 were finally destroyed the last remaining R-12.